Automatic opening means for fire extinguishers



July 17, 1956 GAETA 2,754,914

AUTOMATIC OPENING MEANS FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Filed Aug. 24, 1955 ZIE" INVENToR. @iff fm United States Patent O AUTOMATIC OPENING MEANS FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS Leigh Gaeta, Bloomfield, N. l.

Application August 24, '1955, Serial No. 530,348

3 Claims. (Cl. 169-31) This invention relates to hand-operated fire-extinguisher apparatus of the type in which a fire-extinguishing liquid is ejected by pressure when a sealing member within the apparatus is opened or pierced. The invention is applicable to apparatus in which a small container of liqueed gas is placed inside the apparatus and is pierced to provide the internal pressure required to drive out the fire-iighting liquid.

My invention provides automatic means for puncturing or opening a retaining element of a fire-extinguisher, and thus releasing the tire-fighting fluid, as the extinguisher is shifted from its idle to its active position, as by inversion, for example. The invention thus eliminates the necessity of taking time to operate the puncturing or opening element. Furthermore, the device is reliable in operation, which of course is of paramount importance.

The device of the invention is inexpensive to produce and maintain, compared to previous non-automatic devices made for the same purpose, and is also readily installed in any of various styles of fire-extinguishers.

The drawings illustrate the invention, and in these:

Figure l is an elevational view of a tire-extinguisher in idle position and embodying my invention, the main container being broken away to show the disposition of the new device;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary View, partly in section, showing the device of the invention and its relation to associated parts;

Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary View, partly in section, showing the action of the new device in puncturing the seal as the extinguisher is turned from idle to operating position.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description thereof, the numeral 3 indicates a tire-extinguisher as a whole. The extinguisher comprises an outer and main casing or container 4 which holds fire-fighting fluid, and it also comprises a cartridge 7 which is secured to the top of the extinguisher, within the mentioned main container 4. Said cartridge contains a liquefied gas which, when the cartridge is punctured, vaporizes, and thus exerts Suthcient pressure on the tire-fighting liquid in the outer container to eject it forcibly therefrom. The lower and outlet end of the cartridge comprises a threaded reduced portion 9 across the end of which is a diaphragmatic seal 10. The seal retains the contained fluid until opened or broken. A nipple 12 threadedly engages said reduced end portion 10. Nipple 12 has a central bore to slidably accommodate the shank 15 of a pin 16. The inner end of the shank is pointed, as shown, and the point is normally disposed adjacent the seal 10, to rupture the latter when the pin is pushed inwardly, as shown in Fig, 5, thereby permitting escape of contents from the cartridge. The gas passes through nipple 12 by way of circular passages 17, four of which are shown, as in Fig. 3, spaced 90 apart.

A second nipple 18 is threaded onto the outer reduced and threaded end portion 12a of nipple 12, to allow for 'ice assembling and disassembling of parts. Nipple 18 has a larger bore than nipple 12, to accommodate the enlarged convex inner end 20 of a lever 21. The lower part of the inner surface of nipple 18 is curved inwardly to retain said enlarged end 20, as indicated at 22, the curvature of the nipplecorresponding to the curvature of the lower part of the side of said enlarged end, thus forming a ball and socket joint. The lever 21 is thus fulcrumed at the lower end of nipple 18, and such support or mounting provides universal movement for the lever. Said lever is preferably enlarged or weighted at its outer end, as indicated by the numeral 24, to increase the force exerted by the lever on the puncturing pin 16, when necessary. The lever may be made in two parts, as indicated in Fig. 2, the stem 21a of its enlarged inner end, i. e., the part of the lever adjacent thereto, making a threaded connection with the remainder of the lever, to facilitate manufacture and assembly, such connection being indicated by the numeral 25.

The puncturing pin 16 has a hat head 27 which normally rests on the hat upper surface of the enlarged end 20 of the mentioned lever. It will be seen that the end 20, with its convex side and hat upper surface, constitutes an eccentric.

When the extinguisher is to be used, it is inverted from its idle position, shown in Fig. l, and while being inverted, goes through the horizontal position shown in Fig. 5, for example. In this position, the lever drops at an angle to the extinguisher, as shown, and, due to the eccentric action of the end Ztl on the head 27 of the pin 16, the pin lo is pushed inwardly through the seal 10, the weighted lever exerting the necessary pressure. The contents of the cartridge are thus free to escape, rst through the passageways 17 and then through the interior of the nipple 18, escaping from the latter through V-shaped apertures 29, formed in the lower end of the nipple, and shown in Figs. 2 and 4. It is also to be noted that the head 27 of the puncturing pin 16 is pressed by the end 20 of the lever against the outer end of the nipple 12, but that it then only partly covers the passageways 17, as shown in Fig. 3. This is to keep said passageways open when the pressure within the extinguisher becomes low.y When the pressure is high, it is sucient to unseat the head 27 and leave passageways 17 fully open after the initial puncturing action on the seal.

The inventive concept is the provision of means attached to a fre-extinguisher and moving automatically, as the extinguisher is turned from idle to operating position, to exert suicient pressure against a seal-opening element to cause the latter to open a seal.

It may be added that the weight 24 on the mentioned lever is so positioned thereon that the puncturing of the seal is not made by slight tilting of the extinguisher which may occur in carrying it.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a fire extinguisher to be turned from an idle to an operating position and comprising a sealed cartridge and a seal-opening element, of means attached to the cartridge and moving automatically, as the extinguisher is turned to operating position, to exert suicient pressure against said seal-opening element to cause the latter to open the seal, said means comprising a socket, a free-swinging lever fulcrumed in the socket and having an enlarged end within the socket eccentrically formed for contact with, and opening pressure on, the sealopening element, and weighted adjacent its outer end.

2. The combination with a re extinguisher to be turned from an idle to an operating position and comprising a seal and a seal-opening element, of means attached to the extinguisher and moving automatically, as

the extinguisher is turned tol Operating position, to exert sufficient pressure against said seal-opening element to cause the latter to open the seal, said means comprising a socket, a free-swinging lever fulcrumed in the socket, and having an enlarged end within the socket eceentrically formed for contact with, and opening pressure on, the sealopening element.

3. The combination with a tire extinguisher to be turned from an idle to an operating position and comprising a seal and a seal-opening element, of means attached to the extinguisher and moving automatically, as the extinguisher is turned to operating position, to exert sufcient pressure against said seal-opening element to cause the latter to open the seal, said means comprising a socket, a lever mounted for free swinging movement in the socket and forming therewith a ball and socket joint, and formed into an eccentric at its inner end and adapted to contact the seal-opening element and exert pressure thereagainst so that said element may open the seal.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

